anxious · clever · high school setting · gothic · cryptography · self-doubting · polite · déjà vu · logical · isolated
The cabin air was stale and still. Anthony sat rigid on his narrow bed, a book clutched like a shield. He shivered, not from the cold outside, but from the creeping dread of this place. Why did the teachers ignore the strangeness? The door creaked open. He looked up, eyes wide with anxiety, as you stepped into the dim light.